Tick, Tock

Christmas went well, but that's not what I want to share tonight. I'll write a post up about that in the next few days, complete with pictures. 

There are only four days and some hours left in this year.

There is so much to do, to plan, to hope for, for the year to come. I'm sure this is true for you, too. 

The biggest thing in the coming year is moving to Denver.
It's five months away, yes, and there is no 100% guarantee that it's going to happen, but I am already getting excited about it. (Given my history with things like this, that may not be a good thing.)

I plan on getting myself partway established, business-wise, before I move, but it will be a lot like starting from scratch again. 

It will be bittersweet, but I think it will also be a good thing. 

For the last few months, I have been in a rut.
I haven't had a shoot in eight months. That's rough.
Moving is going to force me to market myself more, to take new and different approaches to things.  

Those are good things, I think. =)

There are a ton of personal things that will be good, too. 

I will still be in the Greeley area for five more months, so if there's anyone who's wanting a shoot, schedule it now. 

...I just feel the cold.

I can't feel my senses; I just feel the cold., originally uploaded by speckled_beckle.

Winter is about hibernating indoors, under blankets, with a cup of warm cocoa in hand as the oven bakes delectable goodness.

It should be noted, also, that there is either music playing (Christmas carols?) or a movie playing while all of this is going on.
If it is the former, a book occupies the free hand and a fire is roaring nearby.

If one dares venture outside, one is greeted with unequivocal beauty, as with any season.
Winter is a season of glitter, ice crystals, fat lazy snowflakes, and skeletal trees.
(One must be quick to witness this beauty, though, for it is fleeting and quickly replaced with the dormant browns and yellows of a sleeping earth.)

The last few years, I have come to appreciate the beauty of this season.
I still hate being cold, but I understand that winter's cold must balance summer's heat. Before, winter was nothing more than surviving the {brisk} walk to the car, darkness, and hiding inside.
But, now, I have reasons to venture outside: the fog as it creeps in along the valley floor at night, the twinkle of frost in the early morning, the Impressionist-style skies...
It is my mission, and my pleasure, to immemorialize the beauty of each season, and winter is no exception.

I'm as free as a bird...

I'm as free as a bird..., originally uploaded by speckled_beckle.

School is officially over for me for the semester, so I am free, free, free!
I get five glorious weeks of respite before I have to load up the backpack again and trudge all the way across town to finish my degree.
I only need one class to finish, but I'm taking a full load. It just makes more sense to me.
(By the end of these five weeks, I may not see it that way! LOL)

Anyway, with all this free time on my hands, I hope to do more photography.
A friend has asked me to do a family session for her, so I have (at least) that on my to do list.
I also have a bunch of pictures left to take for 111 Photos in 2011, a group I'm a part of on Flickr.

But this month won't just be about photography, unfortunately.
Real life also has to happen.
These weeks are the most solid chunk of time that I will have to devote to getting this house back together, before February, which is when we are to move out.
...so, I'll also be spending a lot of time packing, cleaning, and rearranging.

So this may be a chunk of time without school, but it will not be an idle chunk of time!

Like I said, I hope to devote a lot of time to photography over these coming weeks, but I hope that you will understand if I do not meet even my own expectations. =)